VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS THAT SUPPORT FOOD PRODUCTION INITIATIVES & HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: Register Today!

Growing North Cariboo Society is pleased to announce Phase 3 of the Empowering Family Health Project  which is composed of a series of virtual workshops to support food production initiatives and healthy, sustainable community development in rural communities.

The first Workshops scheduled are as follows:

1. Raising Chickens and Turkeys for the Table
2. Introduction to Backyard Tapping and Birch Syrup Production
3. Instant Pot 101 - Cooking and Preserving with a Multi-Cooker: Using Your Garden and Local Produce
4. Get Ready to Grow: Seed Starting
5. Foraging through the Seasons

All information including Workshop Summaries, Registration Form, and associated information is below.

1. Raising Chickens and Turkeys for the Table

Presenter: Wilma Watkin
                   Watkin Acres, Red Bluff
Saturday, February 20th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Fee: $25.00

2. Introduction to Backyard Tapping and Birch Syrup Production
Presenters: Heloise Dixon-Warren and Ted Traer,                          Moose Meadows Farm, Bouchie Lake

Saturday, March 6th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Fee: $25.00 (Early Bird until Wednesday, March 3)

After March 3rd, the fee will be $30.00

3. Instant Pot 101 - Cooking and Preserving with a Multicooker: Using Your Garden and Local Produce

Presenter: Lynda Atkinson

                   Sisters Creek Simmentals, Kersley

Saturday, March 20th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Fee: $15.00 (Early Bird until Wednesday, March 17)

       After March 17th, the fee will be $20.00

4. Get Ready to Grow:  Seed Starting

Presenter:  Ted Traer
                   Moose Meadows Farm, Bouchie Lake

March 27th, 2021 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Fee: $25.00 (Early Bird until Wednesday, March 24th)

After March 24th, the fee will be $30.00

5. Foraging through the Seasons
Presenter: Ted Traer and Heloise Dixon-Warren
                  Moose Meadows Farm, Bouchie Lake
May 1, 2021 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Fee: $25.00 (Early Bird until Wednesday, April 28th)
After April 28th, the fee will be $30.00

To register for any of the workshops, complete a Registration 

Form and submit to GNC@farmed.ca.  Payment can be made via email transfer to GNC@farmed.ca  By Registering you will be adding to the email list for the Empowering Family Health Project (empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com).

By registering you will be added to the Empowering Family Health email distribution list.

Registrations can also be made at the Bouchie Lake Country Store - 2338 Bonny Road, Bouchie Lake by calling 250.249.0228 or visting the store in person.   Payment with visa / mastercard / debit or cash.  If paying by cheque, make payable to Growing North Cariboo Society.

Become a member of Growing North Cariboo and receive 10% off .

To become a member of GNC, complete the attached Membership Form and submit to GNC@farmed.ca with $10.00.

ONLINE WORKSHOPS COMING YOUR WAY for 2021!

"Poultry Production", "Backyard Tapping for Birch Sap and Syrup", and "Cooking Local with an Electric Multi-Cooker" are online workshops coming YOUR way hosted by Growing North Cariboo Society. Dates will be announced very soon for these specific workshops along with others so watch this site and the Growing North Cariboo facebook page.

For information, email empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com and be added to our extensive email distribution list.

Thank you.

Growing North Cariboo Society

Interested in having Workshops held in your Community that have a focus of “Growing North Cariboo Food and Community”?

LETTER TO COMMUNITY GROUPS
February 13, 2019

Dear community group

On behalf of the Partners for Healthier Communities: North Cariboo (P4HC: NC) we are reaching out to you, as community leaders and champions, to partner with us so workshops focused on “Growing North Cariboo Food and Community” can be held in and hosted by your community.

In 2019, the P4HC: NC is planning to roll out Phase 4 of the Empowering Family Health Project.  Although the project is primarily focused on our rural North Cariboo communities, it has been multi-faceted since it was initiated in 2016.  The project has financially contributed to the establishment and enhancement of 4 School Gardens (Wells, Parkland, Barlow Creek, and Carson), provided support to the Bouchie Lake Community Food Garden, hosted multiple “local food related” workshops throughout the North Cariboo, and purchased 5 “Food Processing and Preservation Kits” for the following 5 communities: Barlow Creek, Bouchie Lake, Wells, Kersley, and Ten Mile Lake / Parkland.  For additional information on the Empowering Family Health Project, go to http://empoweringfamilyhealth.blogspot.com/. Information on the P4HC:NC, can be found online at: https://farmed.ca/growing-north-cariboo-projects/

For 2019, the P4HC:NC would like to work with community groups, such as yours, so workshops can be scheduled and held in your community that meet the mandate of  the “Empowering Family Health Project”.  The P4HC:NC will provide support to your group by providing funding, if approved, through a Northern Health  “Imagine Grant” and subsequently covering the costs of the workshops  (e.g. presenter’s fee, venue rental, insurance) associated with the workshop.  The presenter could be community member – someone with the knowledge and expertise. The P4HC:NC will also provide some administrative and promotional support.  Your group would be responsible for promoting the workshop at the local level, taking registrations, setting a workshop fee (which your group could retain), and facilitating the workshop(s) in your community.  We want to help your group build capacity at the local level by assisting you with connecting with residents in your community.  By becoming more connected and engaged, it is proven that community resilience is increased.  A resilient community is one that is better able to absorb disturbances and still retain basic function and structure.  One way of building resilience is to be more food secure.  Examples of workshops held to date and /or workshops participants have expressed an interest in taking in the future are as follows:

Dehydration, Pressure Canning, Foraging for Wild Foods, Root Cellaring, Cold Storage, Food Fermentation, and  Cheese Making.

If your group is interested in partnering with us, please contact us by February 25th with the following information:

Name of Organisation
Contact Person:
Telephone / Email:
Workshop Topic of Interest:

Thank you.  We look forward to hearing from you.  Please email us at empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com

Empowering Family Health

"Growing North Cariboo Food & Community"

Email: empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com 

Weblog: http://empoweringfamilyhealth.blogspot.ca

PLANNING FOR EMPOWERING FAMILY HEALTH IN 2019

The Partners for Healthier Communities: North Cariboo is excited about the potential plans and partnerships for 2019.  The group has recently updated their 3-fold brochure that provides a great summary of the Empowering Family Health Project and the P4HC:NC committee.

In 2019 we are hoping to once again apply for an Imagine Grant through Northern Health to support initiatives in the North Cariboo that meet our mandate.  A Request for Proposal is now available here that groups can complete and submit to the P4HC:NC for inclusion into the 2019 Grant Application.

For information on the Imagine Grant process, please contact check out

https://www.northernhealth.ca/services/healthy-living-in-communities/imagine-grants

For additional information on the Empowering Family Health Project and /or contact the P4HC:NC committee, please email empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com

P4HC: North Cariboo Receives Funds To Support Gardens at 2 North Cariboo Schools

In the Spring of this year, the Partners for Healthier Communities - North Cariboo received funding under an Imagine Grant through Northern Health to support 2 Elementary School Gardens in the North Cariboo.  Two schools submitted a Request for Proposal for funding under the P4HC:NC and with the funding received, the P4HC:NC was able to support both Barlow Creek Elementary School and Carson Elementary with a "Garden Project".

For each of the schools, the Garden Projects were focused on:

Barlow Creek Elementary School

- Learning to Sow and Grow at Barlow Elementary School

- To provide students with hands-on experience and knowledge to grow their own food and encourage a new generation of gardeners.

- To engage students, parents and other community members in the process of growing and processing healthy, local food.

- To provide a hands-on learning tool to explore Life Sciences and environmental stewardship with the students.

The funds were used to purchase grow lights that will be used in the classrooms in early 2019 to grow seeds for the garden boxes. Volunteers provided supplies and time to construct 6 large garden boxes in the back of the school – one for each grade to plant in the spring. Upon return to school in September the students harvested the potatoes and will be learning more about their nutritional value and how to prepare and taste.

Carson Elementary Garden Project

- To create a sustainable garden program for the staff and students, with the support of SD 28 Board of Directors. The group would like to be part of introducing agriculture/gardening into the district’s teaching curriculum. Our goal is to have a sustainable vegetable garden that will help educate students on where their food comes from and how to prepare them.

The funds were used to purchase a tool shed and supplies. A Garden was planted but there were some challenges due to hot conditions and access to water.

Growing North Cariboo Communities - One Activity at a Time

 

An article on the Empowering Family Health Project - Phase 2 was in the January 31st, 2018 issue of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer.  Thank you to Editor Ken Alexander for printing it.  To read a copy of it as a pdf, please click HERE.



 

Winding up Phase 2 of the Empowering Family Health Project

The Partners for Healthier Communities: North Cariboo committee is winding up Phase 2 of the Empowering Family Health Project   This includes completing the final Evaluation, finalizing the budget, and ensuring all commitments have been completed and met.

The group just ordered the following 3 books for each of the five communities that received Food Processing and Preservation Kits under Phase 1.  This includes Barlow Creek, Bouchie Lake, Kersley, Ten Mile Lake / Moose Heights, and Wells.  These books will be gifted to each of the communities upon receipt.  Thank you to everyone for your support and participation throughout the project.  We look forward to 2018.